1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a centrifuge rotor having a lid with a concave undercut region thereon.
2. Description of the Prior Art A centrifuge rotor is a relatively massive member in which a liquid sample is exposed to a centrifugal force field. To effect the centrifugal separation the rotor is mounted onto a drive shaft that projects into the chamber of a centrifuge instrument. The operator must hold and support the rotor while lowering it onto the drive shaft or lifting it therefrom. Since in the general case, the exterior configuration of the rotor does not present a usable lifting feature, the rotor must be held by the user by placing a hand beneath the body of the rotor and supported while the rotor is extended from the body of the user to or from the drive shaft. Depending upon the depth of the chamber and the location of the chamber with respect to the operator, such manipulations may be ergonomically disadvantageous.
There are known in the art rotors in which a peripheral portion of the lid overhangs the rotor body. Exemplary of this class of rotor are those rotors manufactured and sold by the Centrifuge Products Division of E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company as SZ-14 and SL-50T. However, owing to the marginal extent to which the lid overhangs the rotor body, coupled with the perpendicular orientation of the lid with respect to rotor body, an inefficient lifting and grasping surface is presented to the user.
In view of the foregoing it is believed to be advantageous to provide a rotor which presents a surface to a user by which the rotor may be more efficiently grasped and handled.